New York Weiss
by Pony-Taled Baka
Summary: WK/FAKE crossover; rating may or may not go up. Ryo, Dee, JJ, and Drake are being moved to a new position outside of the 27th precinct. They now have to deal with their new bosses and a whole new situation.
1. Getting started

Disclaimer: Rose are red, violets are blue. I don't own, so you no sue. If you are aware of what FAKE is, then you can guess that the same warning applies to Weiss Kreuz. Pairings are KenxOmi, and AyaxYohji. 

Give the author a little mercy and review. Arigato!

Ages:

Omi - 22

Ken - 23

Aya - 25

Yohji - 26

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Mou…I thought that once I graduated from school the schoolgirls would stop chasing me so much or at least not swoon so much. Looks like I was wrong on both accounts. *sighs* At least I don't have to put up with countless girls throwing themselves at me during school hours. Thank kami for little gifts like that. And little gifts like a few hours to think without someone bothering me.

But I wonder what's left for me? I have a college degree and everything, but it's not like I could just up and leave Weiss to go out on my own. But then, what am I going to do with the rest of my life? This? A killer by night and a florist by day? For the rest of my life? What about the others? Are they content with the way things are? Well, maybe Aya is, but I wonder about the rest…

"Oi! Omi! Stop spacing out and give me a hand with these bags," Yohji hollered from the front of the store, breaking Omi out of his train of thoughts.

"Ah? Oh, hai. Coming Yohji," Omi replied. He ran over to where Yohji was standing and picked up the other end of the large bag of fertilizer that Yohji had been trying to lift by himself. Together, they managed to lug the bag to the back where it would be stored till they needed it.

"So, what were you thinking about that would cause you to space out like that?" Yohji inquired, clapping his hand together to try and rid himself of some of the dirt. Which was kinda pointless considering they still had 9 other bags to lug, all the same weight.

"I was thinking about life."

"Life?" Here Yohji had to raise an eyebrow. He didn't think there would be anything for Omi to complain about currently. Bending to pick up another bag, he waited for Omi to elaborate.

"I was wondering if this is all that my life is going to be. Day in and day out; from now till the day that I die."

"Is there something wrong with the way life is now?"

"No. Not really. I was just thinking about what other choices I may have, but there don't seem to be that many for a person like me."

"You mean for an assassin like you?" Yohji wasn't an ex-detective for nothing. He guessed that the problem lay more with the fact that Omi, after so long, was finally tiring of the countless missions he had to do. Especially since, in the past few months, Wiess has had to complete more missions than ever while Kitler was trying out its new feet with different people in different areas of control.

In the beginning, since Wiess was one of the few lethal units that Kilter had left after what has now been dubbed the 'Incident', they had gone out on mission after mission. Then they were given a small break while Kitler regrouped and started over; but now they were back where they had started. It was only natural that the continuous stress of so many missions would make Omi long for a way out of the endless danger and try to find something else in life. Honestly, Yohji himself was beginning to look for a way out. If it weren't for Aya, he would have left a long time ago; or so Yohji liked to think so.

"…" From Omi's silence, Yohji guessed that he had thought right.

"Ma, don't worry too much about it Omi. The worst thing that will happen is that you'll be stuck with us for the rest of your life."

__

~Stuck with us for the rest of your life.~ The way Yohji says that makes things a little lighter and more bearable somehow. However, I still wonder if there's anything else I could do with my life…

"Are you sure that this is a wise decision sir?" a busty, red haired woman asked the man sitting behind the desk in front of her. He was her supervisor as far as the ranking at work went. She, however, had more experience in what was going on than he did. At least, with this particular group she had more experience. Which is why she felt it was alright for her to question the particular choice of the most recent assignment she had been given.

"I am aware that they are our most trusted group and the most lethal thus far, but all the more reason to trust them with this task. We couldn't very well send a team that's inexperienced and of questionable loyalties on this job, now can we?" the man replied in an even and respectful tone. He didn't show it, but hearing his own line of reasoning once more assured the man that what he was doing was the right thing to do. He was taking a big risk here and he needed to be sure of what he was doing. If things didn't go according to plan, then he would have to live with that as well, but better not to focus on that situation. It wasn't assured either way that the job would fail or succeeded, but he could not concentrate on failure if he hoped to succeed. 

"Then are you sure that the other teams can pick up the slack while Weiss is out of action?" she questioned further. She had to be sure that this was the right thing to do otherwise, she would never be able to live with herself if anything happened.

"Of that, a person cannot be sure of till the deed is done, but I believe the other teams will be able to take care of themselves."

"Very well then sir. If that is what you think, I have no other choice but to give the message to them," the redhead concluded. Bowing respectfully, she turned and headed out the door of the office. However, just before she reached for the doorknob, she turned her head and looked back at her supervisor. The light was shining from behind him and she couldn't get a good look at his face this way, but she already knew what he looked like and who he really was, so it didn't matter. What mattered was that she get her last message out.

"Oh, sir? There's one last thing I need to tell you," she spoke up. 

"Yes?"  
"If anything happens to them due to your choice for this venture, I will personally see to it that you do not sit in that chair for very long afterwards." With that said, the woman left the office and closed the door firmly behind her.

When the door closed, the man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. _That woman scares me sometimes. No wonder she was one of the people who survived the Incident. It's only natural that she would look after the others who did as well. And taking into consideration her relationship with this particular team, it's no question where her loyalties lie. I can only hope that all things go according to plan and that I live to see another day if things don't._

~Pony-Taled Baka

This is the first thing I posted up. More to come. The more reviews, the faster I rack my brain for more chapter. Anou……. Right now, since the groups haven't met, they're speaking in their native languages; I.e.: Japanese for Weiss and English for FAKE cast (they're in NY people!). Arigato!


	2. Learning about a change

Standard warnings apply. I don't own, blah, blah, blah, blah……

Okay… For the sake of this fic, and the fact that I have no REAL clue as to their ages, I'm making them up. " " is for English speech; stands for Japanese speech.

Age:

Ryo - 26

Dee - 27

JJ - 23

Drake - 28

Manx sighed and checked her face in the mirror for the umpteenth time in the last few minutes. It wasn't that she was really worried about her appearance. Hell, she could walk in wearing nothing but her bathrobe and they would still treat her the same way. Granted, Yohji might make a few choice remarks if she were to do something like that, but he wouldn't act different around her. It was more of a delay gesture to stall for time. Because when she walked through those familiar doors, the mission she was supposed to give them would, one way or another, change all their lives forever.

After everything that had happened, Manx considered the four men she was about to visit sort of like a family to her. She didn't know just how they felt towards her, but she knew that if it came down to it, she would do just about anything for them.

Finally coming to the conclusion that she had wasted enough time and no matter how many times she looked at her face in the mirror it wouldn't help her situation any, Manx sighed once more, collected herself, and got out of her car.

The short trip from her car to the front door of the Koneko seemed to last only a heartbeat and before Manx knew what had happened, she was back in the familiar basement and standing in front of the four men she cared so much for. Mentally shaking herself, Manx opened her mouth and started telling the members of Weiss about their new mission.

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Omi blinked and stared at Manx as if she had grown two heads. What she had just told them about their next mission, if it could really be called that, was not what he was expecting. If she had told them that his family had come back to life completely changed and were now model citizens, Omi could not have been more surprised. And it seemed that his friends shared his opinion. Aya's eyebrows were disappearing in his hairline, Ken had the cutest (in Omi's opinion, at least) expression of disbelief on his face, and Yohji's sunglasses had slid all the ways down to the upper part of his lip and he wasn't pushing them back up.

"Okay…," Yohji began, drawing out the word. Now he took the time to fix his sunglasses. "Let me see if I understand you correctly here. You're saying that for our next mission, we're going to have to train a whole new team to of people that we pick out? And just where are we going to find these people, Manx? Off the street?"

"No," she answered. "Actually, everyone is going to be moved to a different location to chose the members of the next team. Everything has already been taken care of, should you chose to accept this mission. Housing, money, and even transportation."

"And just where exactly will we be going to?" Ken questioned, resting his head on his crossed arms resting on the chair he was sitting backwards in. This was the part that Manx had been dreading. As soon as she told them where they would be going, there was no turning back and there was a good chance that she would never see them again. Granted, one of the missions in the past they had gone on might have led to the same consequences, but then she wasn't sending them to another country where they didn't know the rules and how for a mission. Still, however, Manx had a job to do and could not back out of it.

"The four of you are going to be moving to the states; New York, in fact."

"NEW YORK?!" Omi exclaimed, eyes close to bugging out of his head. "Why there?!"

"Apparently Kilter has decided to expand it's reach into other countries, now that the times have changed. But in order for us to do so, we need to establish firm relations with the local authorities of that country first. The ones who dealt with international relations thought that if we trained the next team, it would be a good show of faith," Manx explained. This was a decision that Manx had mixed feelings about, but she couldn't deny the fact that some of those mixed feelings came from the knowledge that it would be her team that was sent over.

"There's a problem with all of this," Aya spoke up. "None of us speak enough English to even begin to teach a single person anything, let alone a whole team."

Manx internally winced. She had hoped to avoid this certain topic for a while, but it seemed that she would be dealing with that topic now. Trust it to be Aya to deliver the killing blow.

"There is a device we have our hands on that will solve that problem for you gentlemen. Within the span of a single day, all four of you will be able to learn and master the English language. But I must warn you that there are side effects. However, considering who we attained the prototype from, the side effects are quite mild."

Now that was an ominous statement, if the members of Weiss had ever heard one. Considering what they had dealt with in the past, there was not a single chance that they were going to leave any question unanswered about this 'device.' The four members of Weiss turned to face one another and locked eyes. Through silent agreement, they decided that Aya would be the one to ask the question most prudent on their minds.

"Just who exactly made this device and what side effects are you talking about Manx?"

__

Let's hope they don't kill me for this. "The person who made the prototype was Masafumi and the side effects are that you will become like those you have fought against, Shwartz." 

~~~~ 2 MONTHS AFTERWARDS IN NYC~~~~~~~~~~

**"SENPAI!!!!!"**

Dee choked and spat out the bit of coffee he had been drinking till he had heard JJ's loud cry, spilling some on himself in the process. His partner, Ryo chuckled and turned to see what had ruffled JJ's feathers now. Since he wasn't throwing himself all over Dee, Ryo guessed that it was a bit of news concerning work that had gotten him all riled up.

"What the hell do you want JJ?" Dee asked, in a slightly ticked off tone.

"Have you two heard anything about the latest news that's going around the station?" JJ asked, quickly walking over and perching himself in the middle of their two desk. He looked back and forth between Ryo and Dee to judge their reactions to his question. The looks on their faces was all the answer JJ needed. For New York detectives, they sure let an awful lot of their emotions show on their faces. Right now, Ryo's face was expressing his unknowing curiosity, and Dee's was expressing the question he didn't want to ask aloud, which was 'what news?'

"There's going to be some big changes happening to four members of this precinct," JJ began, the excitement growing in his eyes as he spoke. "No one knows who the four people are going to be, but whoever they are, two things for certain. They're going to be moved to a different department that has just formed and they'll be given a higher pay." THAT got the two men's attention.

Dee whistled. "A higher pay? This must be some kind of fancy new department if they can already afford to do something like that. Just what does this new department do exactly?"

JJ shrugged and held up in his hands in a gesture of uncertainty. "That's something else no one's been able to get a word on. Not even Rose knows all the details about this. From what I've been able to sniff out, this is being handled by the people at the top. In H.Q."

"If it's being handled by the people in high-ups, then how did you find out about it JJ?" Ryo asked. He knew office gossip was good and covered a wide area, but if this had come from the main office, how had JJ gotten wind of it?

"Rose was given a notice to start organizing things down here because some hotshots are coming down to check us out," JJ went on, ignoring Ryo's question completely . "He wasn't given too much information. Just told that he'd be given more information at a later date. Curiosity got the best of him and he went snooping around for the reason. And everything that I've told you guys is all the information he was able to find out."

"Makes sense considering that it's his department that's being messed with. However, that still doesn't explain how you got wind of it JJ," Ryo pointed out. JJ flushed and tried his best to give Ryo an answer he would accept, without reveling how he had got his information. Strangely enough, it was Dee who came to JJ's rescue.

"It's office gossip," Dee cut in. "There are a million different ways that JJ could have gotten wind of the information, Ryo. All that matters is whether or not it's true. And if it is, what I want to know is what kind of people are they looking for? And why our prescient?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Ryo stated. "Any idea when all this is going to be taking place?"

JJ shook his head. "No one has any idea about that either."

"Great," Dee muttered. "So basically, we're all expected to be on our toes and best behavior till Rose finds out more information, huh?"

"Basically," JJ agreed. 

"Just fucking fantastic."

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The members of Weiss were currently engaging in one of the most difficult task they had ever had to do in the course of their entire career. With everyone hunched over the kitchen table, they were trying to pick out, from a selection of over several hundred, just who would form the team that they would be forming and then training. And all they had to go on was a bunch of information on a computer and a HUGE stack of files. Files that littered every single available spot on the kitchen table and floor.

I don't see how in the world we're supposed to pick a brand new team just by looking at their files. Ken muttered sourly, glaring at one of the files in his hands. He threw it back amongst its siblings. Just how are files about a person's stats supposed to help us here?! Like I'm going to pick someone based on their weight!

There is no way that I'm going to go through all these files just to find four guys to train, Yohji agreed crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair. We need to find a better way to do this. Any ideas Bishy? Omi stopped tapping the butt of his pencil against the table and a thoughtful look crossed his face as he tried to come up with something that would make this part easier.

Since everything we really need is already in the computer, maybe it would be a better idea if we run a search on the different type of people we do or don't want instead, Omi suggested warily, eyeing the computer that stored all the information with caution. It was kinda old and temperamental from what Omi had seen. He didn't want to do anything that might set off its temper. He had already warned the others about this and thus, no one, other than Omi himself, was allowed to touch the thing.

Sounds like as good a place to start as any, Yohji said. So, what type of personality do we want in our to-be pupils?

They have to be young, Omi began, standing up and taking a new seat at the computer. He booted up the computer and began running a search program on all the files they had been given. Under 30 at best. We can't train old people to do our jobs.

They shouldn't be anyone too big, Ken added. We don't have enough levy to ask for someone in a high position.

They shouldn't have a perfect record, Aya continued. We need people who can break, not only rules, but laws as well.

Okay… Young, not too high up on the ladder, and with a record of some sort, Omi listed off, his fingers flying over the keys. Anything else?

Yeah. Can you try finding people who are open-minded and are willing to adapt? Yohji asked. Considering what's going to happened and who they're going to be learning under, I think that's important, ne?

Looks like you can use that brain of yours for more than just cheesy pick-up lines after all, Aya commented with a smirk. Yohji grinned at him and playfully winked in the red-head's direction.

Now why would I want to flirt with anyone else other than you Aya? This caused Aya's smirk to widen just the tiniest fraction and he turned his head to look the blonde in the eyes now. He was about to comment when Ken beat him to the punch.

I don't know. Maybe because you do flirt with every single woman you meet up with? Ken commented off-handily. Omi giggled and added the finishing touches to the program before hitting the 'enter' key, while the others continued their banter in the background. 

Okay, Omi called out, interrupting Yohji in mid-comment. I've narrowed it down to 50 different possibilities. The three other men stood up and crowded around the youngest member to get a look at the smaller list of different people they had to chose from now. By each person's stats, there was a picture on file besides it. The majority was men, but there were a good number of women as well in the list.

This still isn't good enough, Ken complained. I still don't know who we should pick. Now what do we do?

Now we go down to the station ourselves and check these people out with our own eyes, Aya declared. That's the only way we can do this. Yohji stood up and rested his hands on his hips. He regarded each one of his teammates with a excited smirk.

So the mission has really started, huh? 

"Hai."

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I'll get around to writing about the meeting between the different groups eventually. Actually, I think it's going to come up in the next chapter. So if you want to read about it, give me some reviews. Oh, and thanks to the people who actually reviewed this fic.


	3. Almost there

Sorry this took so long to post. Life caught up with me recently and I had to respond to it. But now that school has started again, I may be able to write a bit more. This is mostly for the people who have reviewed. Something to tide them over. (*Crosses fingers* I hope.)

Anyway, I don't own, so don't sue. Warnings still apply.

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{How are you hold up Ken?} Yohji asked from where he stood next to the brunette. To his right stood Aya and to the left of Ken stood Omi. Omi had a notebook and was jotting down different notes that either, he, Aya, or Yohji made about the different people they were observing. The only one that wasn't making observation was Ken, but then again, he had a different job to worry about.

{I'm good. Don't worry about me, you guys just finish your job,} Ken replied in the same manner as Yohji. The brunette's eyes were closed and he had a look of a forced relaxation upon his face. Normally, he didn't have to concentrate as hard as he was on the task that had been assigned to him, however, there was something added to his task that required Ken's intense concentration.

Because of the required concentration, it was taking a lot more out of Ken than the was willing to admit. He not only had to cover himself, he had to concentrate on covering the rest of the team as well. The others were aware of Ken's stubborn nature and the fact that he wouldn't admit that he was in trouble. The last trait was something that all of them shared. So they were trying to do as best of a job that they could do in the shortest amount of time possible. They had already managed, within the last hour, to eliminate more than half the list that they had started out with.

{It shouldn't take too much longer Ken-kun,} Omi said as reassuring as he could. He did his best to shove his worry for the brunette out of his 'voice,' but he had to be the one that was worried about the ex-J League player the most. {Just hold out for a little longer.} Before Ken could get a word in edgewise, someone decided to make that the moment that they had to comment on another person on the list of potentials.

{Cross out number 36,} Aya instructed. {Apparently they're known as the office 'gossip factory' around here. We don't need anyone like that on our team. Too much of a liability.}

{How many are we down to?} Yohji asked, curious. He would have craned his head to look at Omi in the eyes, but the situation wouldn't let him.

{About 15,} Omi estimated, looking down at his notes. {Why?}

{Cause I know how we can get done with this in the next 15 minutes,} Yohji declared. {Aya, let me have your hand.}

{Just what are you planning to do Kudo?} Aya questioned, looking up at the blond and raising an eyebrow.

{Just give me your hand and find out.} Yohji said mysteriously. With a heavy sigh, Aya reluctantly uncrossed his arms and put one of his hands into Yohji's. Yohji gave Aya's hand a quick squeeze and gave the redhead a confident smirk. Aya didn't scowl back, like he would have normally. Instead, he gave the hand he was holding a very slight squeeze back before turning back to stare out at the mass of people moving around them.

{Alright. Brace yourself,} Yohji warned. With that said, he gave both the redhead and himself a second to prepare, then launched himself and Aya into his latest idea.

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"Dee! Hey Dee!" Drake called out to the dark haired officer walking a ways in front of him. Dee turned to face him, an easy expression on his face replacing the scowl that had been there. He stopped walking and waited for Drake to catch up to him.

"Yeah?" 

"Heard you just came back from Rose's office. What did he want to talk to you about?" Drake asked. He figured that this would be a safe way to bring up the topic of conversation that Drake really wanted to know about. It was safer for his health, when Ryo wasn't around, to ease Dee into a conversation that would leave him most likely pissed off as hell. That way, he wouldn't just go off and explode all at once and do something he would regret later.

Dee snorted and pulled hard on his tie. "Rose's just being an asshole as usual. So he decided to use me as a scapegoat and yelled at me for no good reason."

"Are you serious?" Drake raised an eyebrow. He knew, as did everybody else in the precinct, that Rose and Dee were at extreme odd with each other, mostly over the topic of Ryo, but even Rose knew better than to step out of line and use his position for his own personal gain. Or at least, Drake thought Rose knew better than that. Maybe he was wrong. "Do you think there's a reason why Rose is acting the way he is?

Dee snorted and ran a hand through his hair to move his bangs away from his face. "Do you want my personal opinion or do you want my professional one?"

Drake shrugged. "Well, unless you've got somewhere to be, why not illuminate me on both? Come on, lets get something to eat and we'll talk."

"Actually, I was planning on meeting Ryo for lunch today, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind chatting for a while," Dee stated. Drake smirked internally as he thought about how Dee used to act and how he acted now. Ever since he and Ryo had gotten together, through the never ending efforts of Dee, there had been changes in the two of them that couldn't be explained in any other way than by the presence of the other man. 

For Ryo, the blond haired man had become a bit more sociable, not that he hadn't been in the first place, but there was more of a relaxed comfortable aura around him now, like he knew where he belonged now. There was also one other change real noticeable. The blond may not have noticed it himself, but the others of the precinct did. Ryo had actually become a bit possessive about Dee and the dark haired man's free time. The changes in Dee were a little less noticeable, unless you knew him well enough. For one, Dee was able to hold onto his temper a bit longer than before. He actually thought now, before he did something that he might regret later. Also, the man planned for the future now. He didn't just live paycheck to paycheck, with just a little put away for emergencies. Dee actually had a savings account at the local bank now, if that could be believed.

"Well, if you're going to meet Ryo for lunch, I won't bother you two for very long. I just want to hear what you think's going on."

"Personally, I think that Rose is finally starting to show his true colors, the dirty louse that he is," Dee started off, gesturing with his hand as he talked. "But that's a personal opinion, not reality. Reality's probably that he's nervous about the hotshots that are going to come down here and mess with his turf. It's been over a little over a week since JJ told me and Ryo about them, and still no sign. I'd be nervous as hell if I was in his shoes. He's probably blowing off some steam by yelling at me, his favorite target for ridicule, trying to get his mind off of it."

"Who's trying to get their mind off something?" a familiar voice spoke up. Drake and Dee turned to see Ryo standing in front of the two men with a curious expression on his face. He had his tan, work jacket draped over his arm and was looking at them expectantly. Before Drake could even open his mouth, Dee beat him to the punch.

"We were just discussing what's up Rose's ass and why the hell he feels like picking on me." That, of course, got Ryo started in defending Rose and his actions. As much as the blond-haired man didn't always agree with their superior's actions, he didn't find fault with him for them.

As the couple bantered back and forth about Rose's good points and bad points, the motivations of different people, and eventually where they wanted to eat for lunch that day, Drake observed his two friends while he thought about Dee's words.

__

It's funny. Even though he hates Rose's guts, Dee's willing to give him the benefit of a doubt. At least, when Ryo isn't concerned. I guess it shows how much I really don't know the guy if I wasn't expecting an answer as unbiased as the one he gave me.

I wonder what Dee thinks of the rumors that are flying all over the place? I know that I wouldn't mind a larger paycheck, but what would a person have to DO? Still, I think I could handle whatever they toss at me. Well, if I'm going to pursue this train of thought, maybe I'd better leave the lovebirds alone, not that they probably even remember that I'm here… 

What Drake thought was probably true because Dee, tired of bantering with Ryo, decided to shut the Japanese-American up the best way he knew how. And of course, Ryo had shut up.

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Oh……My aching head… Yohji moaned pitifully. He clutched the ice pack he had been given to his forehead and pressed it hard against his skull as if he was trying to mesh it into his brain. Most likely, he was. The blond felt like there were a million little pins and needles trying to suffocate and crowd into his brain. The only reason he wasn't going mad with the pain right now was because of the contact with a certain red-head. Somehow, Aya's presence and touch were enough to block most of the pain that Yohji suffered. For Aya… Well, if the leader of Weiss ever really suffered from his new abilities, only his sister or Yohji would know.

Serves you right, Aya stated without pity. He had pulled up one of the more comfortable chairs in the house and it didn't look like he would be leaving it until Yohji was up and about again. All of Aya's current actions and choices belittled the words that came out of his mouth, however. The redhead gave a comforting squeeze to the hand he was holding in his own. I could have taken the blow baka. I'm not some kind of fragile doll.

Yohji turned towards his stony companion and gave him a weak grin. I know babe. But if I had let you hold your own, then I wouldn't get to play the wounded hero, who gets to be tended to by the gorgeous nurse.

Baka. It was faint, really only noticeable because of Aya's pale skin, but Aya was definitely blushing at Yohji's words. In return, Aya used a free hand to brush away stray strands of hair with the utmost care. There was a soft look in he eyes as he did so. 

Once Yohji is better, are we going to inform our contact here and tell them that we've made our decision? Omi questioned. He was sitting on the loveseat with his laptop on the armrest besides him. Ken's head was resting on his lap and the brunette was sleeping peacefully, recovering from the use of his energy. One of Omi's hands was constantly brushing and petting Ken's hair, as to unconsciously assure himself that Ken was alright.

Once Yohji AND Ken are recovered, we'll tell them. Not until then, Aya amended. We shouldn't report to them at anything but our full strength. It wouldn't be in our best interest to show any weakness to them at this stage in the mission.

Alright then, Omi agreed easily. In truth, he wanted the downtime it would take for both Ken and Yohji to recover to full strength to spend time with Ken and Ken alone; so he wasn't planning on arguing with the red-head anytime soon.

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Alright. I know people will be wanting the two groups to meet up soon. I'm getting to it, I'm getting to it. Possibly in the next chapter. If that's so, it'll be long and it may take a while. Just be patient and send those reviews. It helps me and makes me want to write faster.


	4. Let's meet the new teams

Okay, I know itÕs been nearly forever since I updated. IÕm sorry about that. Hopefully, now that IÕve uploaded my story to the laptop, IÕll get around to writing this story much more often. And as an apology, I made this chapter rather longer than the rest so far. Also, the long awaited meeting between the members of Weiss and the FAKE guys is here! Yea! *waves little flags*

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Rose eyed the man standing in front of him with a hard gaze. He was taking in every single detail, trying to get a feel for the man in front of him. Although Rose was normally very adapt at reading people, the only thing that he could get from the man in front of him was that this was not someone to mess with and that he was here on business only. Being only able to come to that simple conclusion about the man could only mean one thing. This man was very skilled in hiding what he was from others who would try to read him like Rose was.

ÒIs there a problem with my orders, Mr. Rose?Ó the man asked in a tone that held no emotion, or at least none that Rose could pick up, but in such a way that suggested he wasnÔt too happy with the way Rose was acting. Rose, who had become unaccustomed to having people talk to him like this, bristled, but wisely kept his real opinion to himself.

ÒNo, sir. I just wonder why you chose to those four as the ones to be moved,Ó Rose stated, indicating to the files of the four men in question. Before him, on his desk, lay the files for Dee Laytner, Randy Maclean, Jemmy Adams, and Drake Bailio. ÒIs there any special reason for HQ to have chosen them?Ó _This is my turf, you asshole. I wonÕt be treated like some second rate cop in my own precinct!_

ÒWhy they were chosen is none of your concern,Ó the man replied. His expression and tone didnÕt change one way either way, and that, more than anything, pissed the hell out of Rose.

When he had first entered, Rose had nearly started to drool at the sight of the man, but then he realized that the man hadnÕt knocked before entering and that snapped the man back to reality. Just who was this red head to come barging into his office like he had?

The redhead told Rose, before the other man could even open his mouth and demand to know who he was, that he had been sent from HQ with orders for Rose. As proof, he handed Rose a signed document that was clearly from HQ and from someone much higher up than Rose had ever been. Then he had given Rose four names and tossed onto the manÕs desk the files belonging to each of the men he had named. That had set Rose back a bit. How had the man in front of him gotten his hands on the files without anyone noticing?

After which, he told Rose what the man had been hunting to find out for the last two weeks and the news couldnÔt have made him any madder. Rose was to inform these men that they were being moved from one branch of the police department to another and that they would report to a certain address the next day and would begin on Monday. There, they would meet their new superior and were out of RoseÕs control. He would be, eventually, transferred four new people to replace the ones that were being taken from his precinct, but the date as of yet, were unknown. When Rose had asked for details, the redhead had told him that it wasnÕt a matter of his concern. That he didnÕt need to know. The redhead was basically usurping his authority, as Rose saw it. And he wasnÕt even given a logical reason for it!

ÒI seeÉÓ

ÒI trust that you will follow through with your orders.Ó The sentence was phrased more like a statement to be obeyed rather than a question. Then, without waiting for RoseÕs response or a dismissal, the man turned on his heel and left, the door closing behind him softly.

Now that the man was gone, Rose snarled and he glared daggers at the door. Although he had only been in the other manÕs presence for 15 minutes at best, Rose could easily say that he hated the redhead more than anyone else heÕd ever met. Trouble was, the man was his superior and he had to do what he said, no matter how much he didnÕt want to. Orders were ordersÉ

It was times like these that Rose wished he could break the rules like a certain dark-haired man did all the time, but he could not lower himself to DeeÕs level. No matter how much he wanted toÉ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ÒÉ Any questions?Ó the woman standing in front of the four men asked. The men in question just stared at her as if she had two heads. Whatever they had been expecting, it wasnÕt this.

When Ryo and Dee had walked into the office that morning, they were told to report to RoseÔs office for some a new assignment. There they were told, by a very disgruntled looking Berkley Rose, that they were to report to their new superior on Monday and that JJ or Drake would give them the location as Rose was too busy to tell them right then.

The two men had been confused, to say the least. It must have shown on their faces, because Rose had looked up from his paperwork and snapped at them, asking them what else was it that they wanted. Dee had nearly lost his temper with the other man, but a restraining hand on his shoulder stopped the man from doing anything or saying anything rash. Ryo had calmly asked Rose if he would explain a bit more about what he was talking about. Where the two of them being fired or something?

* ÒSir, I canÕt say that I understand what youÕre talking about. Are we being fired something?Ó Ryo asked in a neutral tone, not wanting to upset the man in front of him.

ÒIf I had any information on the subject Maclean, I would tell you, but seeing as how I donÕt, IÕm afraid I canÕt tell you anything other than you and Dee are being transferred to another branch,Ó Rose had growled. The man was still in a foul mood from the redheadÕs visit yesterday and he was willing to take out his temper on the first person that set him off, regardless of what it was for or who it was.

ÒBut I can tell you that you are NOT being fired, as much as Laytner may deserve to be. Now go and pack up your things as you will be starting on Monday under your new chief. JJ and Drake have been informed of where they will need to go, since they are being transferred as well. Find out where you two are suppose to report from them. IÕm a very busy man and I donÕt have time to be answering every single question that you may have.Ó

With that, Rose had turned back to his work and began working at a furious pace, occasionally growling under his breath. Dee and Ryo had taken that as their cue to leave, with a very odd mix of feelings. They had never seen Rose like this before. What had made him so mad that he would actually snap at Ryo?*

Wanting to know more, the two had gone to JJ and Drake and found out a bit more about what Rose had meant. The four men had been chosen to be transferred to the new branch of the police department and when Rose had been informed about it yesterday, he had a bad brush in with the messenger. Which explained his foul mood.

If Rose could see the four men now, it might have soothed his temper a bit to see the looks on their faces, but he wasnÕt. Instead, it was a red haired woman in high heels whose expression didnÕt change a bit in the slightest when she told them about their new ÔpositionÕ and after seeing their expression. It was like she told people the things she had told them all the time and that it was the most normal thing in the world. It was Dee who was able to get his voice back first, after he had blinked in rapid succession for a good minute.

ÒOkay, let me get this straightÉÓ he began in a hesitant tone, picking his words carefully. ÒYouÕre saying that the four of us were chosen out of an entire station of cops toÉtoÉÓ Dee couldnÕt even finish his sentence. To him, it just sounded too much like fiction and couldnÕt possibly be reality.

ÒTo become assassins,Ó Drake finished for him. The woman nodded, but said nothing.

ÒDoushite?Ó Ryo asked. He was distressed and even after all this time, wasnÕt able to shake the habit of slipping back into Japanese when he was overemotional.

ÒRyo, I donÕt think,Ó JJ started to say, but was cut off half way by the red head.

ÒThe reasons why you four were picked are only known to the four people who picked you,Ó she answered. ÒI donÕt know why they picked you four, but they did tell me to tell you this. If any of you are uncomfortable with the new position after meeting them, they are willing to chose someone else in your place. Some conditions will have to be adhered to, but they wonÕt make you take the job.Ó

ÒAssassinsÉÓ Ryo murmured. ÒWe would basically be becoming murders, wonÕt we? What would Bikky think of me then?Ó

_MotherÉ_ Dee remembered the woman who had taken care of him since he was a child. What would she think of him if he became a killer for money? Similar thoughts were going through Drake and JJÕs minds as they thought about their families and what they would think of them if they accepted.

ÒIf that is how you want to see things, then yes.Ó There was no sympathy in the womanÕs tone. Her voice cut through their minds like a hot knife through butter and left them with even more to think about. She was just stating the truth with no sugarcoating whatsoever. This was not something to be taken lightly and there was no ÔifÕ or ÔbutsÕ here. There was something, however, that she could say that might help them make up their minds, if only for a short time at least. ÒHowever, before you DO make up your minds, might I suggest that you at least, meet the people who chose you for this? They will be able to tell you why you four were picked and you can judge them for yourselves.Ó

_ThatÕs going to be an interesting meeting, _the woman thought to herself. _What will these men think of the members of Weiss?_

It was certainly a sight to see; four grown men staring and standing outside a doorway, looking at the door as if it held back the end of the world. It was the door that they had been told to report to on Monday so that they could meet their new superiors. The normally loud Dee and the overly hyper JJ were quiet and subdued. They knew what they would be getting into once they opened that door, but they really had no idea what to expect.

ÒYou know, this is a pretty expensive place. How much do you think theyÕre making? Do you think theyÕll act like snobs? É Just what DO professional assassins act like off duty anyway?Ó JJ wondered aloud, trying to stall for time. He didnÕt want to be the one to knock that was for sure. Who knew what kind of person would come out from behind that door?

ÒWell, since theyÕre professionals, theyÕll probably act like the professionals they are,Ó Ryo suggested. ÒEven off duty.Ó

ÒThatÕs the point, Ryo,Ó Drake corrected. ÒWhat do professionals in this field act like when theyÕre not on the job?Ó

Here, Ryo was at a lost. He had dealt with professional bodyguards, hit men, and all sorts of legal and illegal people before, but he didnÕt know what they home lives were like. It was the wall separating work from home and once he, or anyone else, knocked on that door, that wall would be shattered. Also, these men had the support of the police. Granted, it was a hush-hush sort of support that wouldnÕt exist if it ever came to light, but it was still there. Yet they were doing something illegalÉ It just didnÕt make any sense to Ryo, and no one could give him any answers. Save the people on the other side of the doorÉ

ÒSoÉ WhoÕs going to knock?Ó Drake asked. No one spoke. No one wanted to be the one to open the PandoraÕs box, but they all knew that they had to. That was why there were four grown men standing in front of a door and looking like they would rather be anywhere else, yet who also seemed to be glued to the spot. Fate, or whatever, must have been watching them, because it decided to make the decision for them. The men picked up on a voice calling from the other side, and then the door opened.

ÉIÕm going out for the mail! IÕll be back soon! the person called out to whoever was still in the room, not looking in front of them to see Ryo, Dee, Drake, and JJ blocking their path. They were yelling in a language that Ryo and Dee recognized as Japanese, but only Ryo understood what was being said. When the person turned their head around, their eyes widened in surprise and they stopped short, giving the others a chance to look the person over.

DeeÕs first thought about the person in front of him was that an angel had decided to come down to earth and take the body of a young boy. When he got a better look, however, Dee realized that the ÔangelÕ in question was actually a young man, and not a boy. It was his face and wide eyes that had fooled Dee at first.

He had honey blond hair and baby-blue eyes and was dressed in clothes that were both, casual and trendy at the same time. However, they werenÕt the type of clothes that made parents wince when they saw them over both the price tag and the way it must feel to wear them. That said something about this guy, but the cops were unsure just how to read him just yet.

But whatever his clothes said about him, Dee was certain about one thing. No matter how old this guy was, he was defiantly waaaay too young to be an assassin. Was he the assistant to the real assassins or maybe he was in training, like they were.

The young man stared at them for a moment and something flickered in his eyes too fast for anyone to catch. He must have recognized them somehow, because his face broke out into a smile. Then he surprised them by breaking out in English. ÒAh! YouÕre the people that we picked to form the next team! About time you got here. We were all getting bored waiting for you to come. Come in.Ó

He stepped aside and gestured for them to enter, which they did, mentally gapping like fish. He had just acted like he was the one in charge of this situation. This guy couldnÕt possibly be one of the people who had picked them out and would be their superior! He looked like he had just gotten out of high school! Maybe they had gotten the address wrongÉ

Still, they followed him into the apartment. Drake made a note that he would probably have had to save for months to be able to afford even one monthÕs rent of a place this big and nice looking. However, their guide sure didnÕt look like the type of person who would have that kind of money on him. Maybe he was a visiting relative or something. He led them into the living room, where the group got yet, another surprise and blew out their minds yet again.

It really was quite a sight to see. A lanky blond man with sunglasses on the top of his head was twisting the arm of a brunette with one hand and the other was reaching for the remote in the brunetteÕs other arm, which was outstretched to the fullest so that the blond couldnÕt reach.

Damn it Ken! Hand over the remote! IÕm sick and tired of watching the damn sports channel! the blond exclaimed, practically yelling into the brunetteÕs ear. 

Tough! I was there first and youÕll have to live with it! The brunette was not buckling down even though his arm must be in pain from the hold the blond had on his arm. Dee winced from just looking at it.

The four police officers felt the disbelief and doubt grow in their stomachs and a sort of Ôwhat-the-hell-have-we-gotten-ourselves-intoÕ feeling come over them. There was no way on earth that these two were professional assassins. Not to mention, there was the fact that no one other than Ryo understood a word that they were saying. How were they supposed to learn from people they couldnÕt even understand? Granted, their guide had spoken English, but what if the young man in front of them was the only one who knew how to speak English?

The honey-blonde who had opened the door for them sighed deeply and looked towards another part of the room. His eyes had this long suffering look to them, as if this was something he was very used to, but still hoped for a different outcome.

ArenÕt you going to do anything to stop them Aya? At this rate, theyÕll hurt themselves.

The attentions of the officers switched from the sight before them to that of a red haired man sitting calmly in a chair reading a book as if there was nothing else in the world going on.

If they had thought that the young blond was too young to be an assassin, then this guy was entirely too unreal to be an assassin. With his pale skin, wine-red hair, and feminine body structure and face, the guy could just have easily been a model as something out a wet dream.

His clothes were simple enough. Black turtleneck and jeans could be found just about anywhere and on anyone, but somehow on him, they seemed to be something else entirely.

TheyÕll be fine, he said in a deep voice. You know theyÕll stop if you give them a reason, Omi.

ÒHai. Hai,Ó Omi replied, sighing. ÒI had hoped for a different first impression, but it looks like I wonÕt be getting my wish. They probably think weÕre all loopy now.Ó While he was talking, the blond had picked up a pillow from the couch besides them and he moved to stand next to the red headÕs chair.

Not even taking aim, Omi lobbed the pillow in the direction of the two combatants and then plucked the book out of AyaÕs hands. The pillow beamed the taller blond on the head to bounce off and hit the brunette as well. The fighting immediately stopped so that the two men could glare at Omi instead.

OMI!!!

ÒOur guest have arrived,Ó he stated in a tone of one of long suffering. He put the book back on the shelves as Aya stood up and walked over towards the four stunned cops. ÒDo you want them to keep thinking that you two are complete idiots or are you going to try to change their minds?Ó

ÒEh?Ó the older blond turned to looked towards the direction that Omi was pointing at to see Aya glaring at him with his arms crossed over his chest. Something flashed between the two of them, that much, the others could tell. Just what it was, they couldnÕt figure out.

ÒAh! Gomen. Gomen. DidnÕt know you were there,Ó he said easily, detaching himself from the brunette. For some reason, when he said that, the red head glared at him even harder. The older blond raised his hands in defense. ÒAya, stop glaring at me like that. I seriously didnÕt know they were there. I was busy with KenKen here.Ó

ÒHn.Ó

ÒI told you to stop calling me that,Ó Ken muttered angrily, using the remote to hit the man upside the head. Tucking the remote in the back of his jeans, Ken walked over towards them and stuck out his hand in greeting. ÒHey. IÕm Hikda Ken.Ó

Drake stepped forward and took his hand automatically. When he spoke, it was in a hollow and disbelieving sort of voice. ÒIÕm Drake Bailio.Ó

ÒYou mean Ken Hikda,Ó Omi corrected, walking over to elbow Ken in the gut. ÒItÕs the other way around here.Ó

ÒOh! Right! IÕll try to remember that. Thanks Omi.Ó Ken gave the blond a smile, which earned him a small one in return, before turning his attention back towards the group. When KenÕs attention had been diverted elsewhere, Omi sighed and shook his head.

_HeÕll never remember._

ÒIÕm Omi Tsukino. Pleased to meet you. And you areÉ?Ó

This got Ryo attention. He realized just how rude he must have seemed, not introducing himself properly. Granted, the situation had blown his mind out of the water, but that still didnÕt merit not introducing himself.

ÒAh, IÕm Randy Maclean.Ó

ÒArenÕt you Japanese though?Ó the lanky man spoke up. Ryo got flustered and stared at him in wonder. How had he been able to tell from that far away? Normally people noticed by his eyes, but the guy was too far away to have possibly gotten a good look at them.

ÒUh, yeah. IÕm Japanese-American actually. How could you tell?Ó

He just waved his hand in dismissal and draped an arm over AyaÕs shoulders. ÒCall it a sixth sense. IÕm Yohji Kudo, by the way.Ó

ÒIf youÕre part Japanese, then you probably have a Japanese name as well. What is it?Ó Aya didnÕt remove YohjiÕs arm, but he didnÕt react to it either. That didnÕt tell the four men anything, but it did mean something to Omi and Ken.

ÒUhÉÓ Ryo didnÕt know what to do in the face of Aya frank and very commanding manner. He seemed to be a man very used to being in charge and having his orders followed, despite his young appearance. ÒItÕs Ryo.Ó

ÒRyo? ThatÕs a pretty common name there,Ó Yohji commented. ÒStill, it seems to suit you better than ÔRandy.ÕÓ At the name, Yohji made a face and wrinkled his nose. ÒWell, what are the rest of your names, anyway?Ó

ÒWhy are you even bothering to ask them this?Ó Aya interrupted, looking at the blond out of the corner of his eyes. ÒWe already know their names from the files we were sent.Ó

ÒTrue. True. I just thought it would be polite and make them feel more comfortable,Ó Yohji said in his defense. ÒAfter all, they arenÕt in this for the same reason we are.Ó

ÒHn.Ó When Yohji mention this, it triggered something in JJÕs memories that had been laying in stupor ever since he entered this room. Forgetting about tact, JJ just blurted out the first thing that came to his head.

ÒYou four are the assassins?!Ó

Omi, Ken, and Yohji all blinked together in unison while AyaÕs face never changed. 

ÒWe donÕt like to broadcast itÉÓ Ken trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. He looked towards Omi for support, but the young blond could only shrug. He didnÕt know what to say to a question like that.

ÒAre you telling me that a bunch of pretty boys are the dangerous killers that we have to take orders from?!Ó Dee exclaimed. ÒThere is no fucking way that can be true! This has got to be some kind of sick joke!Ó  
ÒItÕs no joke,Ó Omi stated plainly. ÒWeÕre the assassins that picked you out for this job.Ó

ÒThereÕs no way people like you could possibly be assassins! It must be a joke. Did Rose put you guys up to this?!Ó Dee continued, not listening to a word of what Omi had said. ÒWhen I get my hands on that guyÉ!Ó

Something had flown past DeeÕs cheek that had stopped him in mid-rant. In fact, it had silenced the entire room. Dee turned his head to look at the wall behind him where a very sharp looking dart was still quivering slightly from when it had been thrown. When Dee turned his head back towards the four men in front of him, his eyes widened even further. Omi had two other darts, similar to the one currently embedded in the wall, in his hand. His stance was casual, but his eyes had changed to take on a much more serious look.

ÒI can assure you, Laytner-san. This is no joke.Ó

Silence. There was only silence in the room. Even after OmiÕs little display had proven that the four members of Weiss were indeed dangerous, the ex-members of the 27th precinct still couldnÕt quite grasp the concept. And that was why the eight men were sitting in the living room trying to come up with something to say.

Yohji had a look of concentration on his face. He was staring at something the others couldnÕt see. But whatever it was, it was taking all of his concentration to focus on it. Aya was sitting next to the blond and had this predatory look on his face. It was like he was protecting the man from something, but what could he be possibly trying to protect Yohji from?

Ken and Omi were sharing a single, oversized chair that made the four men wonder about the relationship going on between the two men. Omi had a concerned look on his face with a slightly saddened expression. Ken had a sheepish expression, but his eyes were steeled in determination.

Dee was sitting next to Ryo on the couch and he had a very distrustful look on his face. Omi had scared him. There was no doubt about that. And Dee didnÕt trust a person who looked like Omi did, but could scare him like that.

Ryo, JJ, and Drake all had various degrees of a stunned expression on their faces. Granted, they didnÕt really trust the men sitting in front of them either, but that didnÕt mean that they had completely grasped the entirety of the situation. For now, they were still in a bit of a shock after seeing that little display of violence that Omi had shown.

After a good five minutes, the look on YohjiÕs face faded and he blinked several times in rapid secession. Turning to meet eyes with the rest of the team, Yohji nodded once and Omi, Ken, and Aya nodded once in return. 

_Something must have just happenedÉ_Ryo concluded. He made a note of how each one of the four relaxed slightly after Yohji had nodded and they seemed more at ease now then they had been only moments before._ I wonder what thoughÉ_

ÒI think that we got off on the wrong foot,Ó Yohji began, breaking the silence. ÒLetÕs try this again. Omi?Ó {And this time, try to lay off on the dramatics, ne?}

ÒHai. You four know what it is you were chosen to do, right?Ó

ÒAbout that,Ó Drake interrupted. ÒCan you answer for me one question first?Ó Omi nodded. ÒOkay then. Why us? Why were we the ones picked out for this job?Ó

ÒWe needed people that fit our standards for the new team that we were assigned to create,Ó Omi explained. As if understanding or guessing what the next question was going to be, he continued. ÒWe had to make sure, first off, that they were people that werenÕt too high up to mess with. Secondly, we had to have people that werenÕt too old to be doing some of the things that weÕll be teaching you. Third, we needed people who have already broken the rules at least twice. YouÕll be breaking the law now. If you couldnÕt even break the rules before, you couldnÕt be relied on to break the law. And lastly, we needed people who are very open minded to different things.Ó

ÒWhat kind of things?Ó JJ asked suspiciously. ÒIf youÕre talking about drugs or things like that, then you can just count me out of this right now.Ó

ÒNo drugs,Ó Ken said. He clenched his hand into a fist as he said this and a look of anger overcame his handsome features. Omi put a calming hand on his thigh to tell the brunette without words that things were going to be okay and that he should calm down. ÒNo drugs what-so-ever.Ó

ÒWe were more thinking along the lines of open mindedness on sexualities,Ó Yohji cleared up, eyeing the hand Omi had on KenÕs leg. ÒWe canÕt exactly work with people who are homophobic, just so you know.Ó

ÒWait. HomophobicÉ? Does that mean that youÕre all gay?Ó Dee questioned with a look of mild surprise on his face. He had suspected it from Omi and Ken, but not of Aya and Yohji.

ÒActually, the only one of us who is gay is Aya here,Ó Yohji answered. ÒThe rest of us are bi.Ó

ÒSeriously?Ó

ÒYou want us to prove it or something?Ó Yohji challenged. There was a glint in his eyes that told the others that he was up to no good and was hoping for a challenge.

{Yohji! Just what are you planning to do?} Omi queried.

{Nothing much,} he replied easily. But Omi was still rather distrustful of what the blond considered Ônothing much.Õ However, Dee backed down once he realized that Yohji was serious and hadnÕt been joking about his sexual preferences.

ÒNo. No. ItÕs okay. I believe you. So, that still doesnÕt really explain why we were picked. IÕm sure there are others in the precinct that would have fit those standards as well. Why didnÕt you choose them instead? Why us?Ó

ÒPersonalities, habits, hobbies, and things like that also affected our decisions,Ó Aya added curtly. ÒWe had to make sure that the people we picked would listen to us as well as get along with us and each other.Ó

ÒHow could you have known about all these things without meeting each person in private?Ó Ryo asked. That part, to him, didnÕt add up. He was sure that he had never even seen any of these men before in his life. He sure hadnÕt ever seen them down at the station. ÒYou would have at least to have come down to the station at least once. But IÕve never seen you down there.Ó

ÒWe did visit,Ó Ken corrected. ÒYou just didnÕt know that we were there.Ó

ÒHowÕs that possible?Ó Drake wondered out loud. ÒItÕs a police station. Granted, we get a ton of people coming and going all the time, but it would have been known if there were four strange men wandering around the station, checking in on people.Ó

ÒThatÕs our little secret,Ó Omi told him. There was a hint of mischief in his eyes, not unlike the one Yohji had a few minutes ago. ÒIf we decided to tell you that, thatÕs when you will know. Until then, consider that etouÉ WhatÕs that word again Aya?Ó

ÒClassified information,Ó Aya answered. ÒAny other questions?Ó

ÒÉÓ

ÒÉÓ

ÒÉÓ

ÒÉÓ

ÒIf thatÕs settled then. Omi.Ó

ÒHai. IÕll get to work on it right now,Ó Omi stated, standing up. ÒIt was nice to meet all of you. IÕll be out in a bit to help with your training, but right now, I have to report in.Ó

ÒReport?Ó Ryo echoed at the same time that Dee said ÒTraining?Ó

ÒYeah, we canÕt just let you get off today without at least testing your skills,Ó Yohji declared. ÒCome on. WeÕre going to the roof for this. WeÕll need the space.Ó

ÒSkills in what?Ó JJ asked. But his question was ignored as the three remaining members of Weiss stood up and went towards the back of the room. Omi walked off in the opposite direction, down a hallway that had doors all along the walls. Where the doors led to, they could only guess. But it was assumed that they werenÕt welcomed down there just yet, if there were still secrets between the two groups. So the cops were left with nothing to do but to follow Aya, Yohji, and Ken towards the back of the room.

And thatÕs that. I know I still havenÕt told everyone just what the members of Weiss can do just yet. ThatÕs because I want you to hang around and keep on reading and reviewing. If you have anything you want to happen in the story, just review and tell me. Okay? Ja ne.


	5. Tha Pain! Tha Pointies!

All right. I'm sorry for not updating this thing in like, three months. I got stuck on what weapons to give the FAKE guys. I wanted each one to be just right. Hopefully, this works for the story. And as a condolence for making everyone wait so long, this chapter is a little longer than the rest of my previous chapters. 11 pages in 12 Times font, minnas. Hope everyone enjoys it! Oh! And I'm sorry is I messed things up here and there. Blame it on John Ashcroft (inside joke).

Warning: Slight, and I do mean slight moment between Aya and Yohji and mentioning of Ryo and Dee's relationship, but nothing really big. I haven't decided if I want to put a lemon in here or not…

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_Is this guy part eel or something?! _Dee thought. _I can't land a punch on him!_ Dee's world had shrunken down to nothing but swinging punches, aiming kicks, and just trying to land a blow on Ken, who had been paired with Dee to test out his fighting skills. Actually, Ken had been paired up with everyone to test out their combat abilities. Granted, he had an hour rest period in-between each little fight, but it was still quite a bit for one guy to take on. But Ken hadn't made any sort of protest, so the cops didn't make any either. At least, none that were spoken out-loud.

The brunette had already taken on JJ and that was something the gray haired man didn't want to dwell upon. Ken had ended that fight rather quickly, within 10 minutes of starting JJ had ended up flat on his back with Ken holding up a fist just inches above his face. The brunette had only smiled sheepishly at the stunned expression on the gray haired man's face, and then he helped JJ to his feet. He said he was done testing JJ and that the guy could go watch the rest of the fights with the others. Then, without too much of a rest period in between, Ken called Dee over and began testing the dark haired about his fighting skills.

Which is why Dee had spent the last 45 minutes trying to land a blow somewhere on Ken's body. He had even gotten desperate and tried to pull off a low blow, but Ken had dodged that as easily as he had dodged every other hit Dee aimed his way. From the sidelines, the others watched with no amount of surprise and admiration. 

"I knew Dee could swing a punch, but I didn't think he was this good," Drake commented. 

"Dee…" Ryo didn't really know what he could say about this. He knew Dee had a rather rough side, but to see him fighting like this was a tad bit unexpected.

"I'd agree with you if I didn't know that KenKen was just playing around with the guy," Yohji remarked. Somewhere along the way, Yohji had lit a cigarette and was holding it between his fingers mostly. He took a puff every now and then, but it seemed as if he wasn't really interested in smoking. It just gave him something to do with his hands as he watched the fight. 

When Drake heard Yohji's words, his eyes widened and he snapped his head around to look at Yohji with a surprised expression on his face.

"He's only teasing Dee?! Just what are you guys capable of?!"

"We don't know," Omi's voice answered coming from behind the group. They all turned to see the blond haired boy walking up to them with a smile on his face and a clipboard in his hands. "Things have happened and we don't exactly know what we're capable of anymore." Omi must have said a little too much because Aya's eyes narrowed and he glared at the young man.

"Omi." That was all it took before Omi looked abashed and a sheepish look came across his features.

"Ah, gomen Aya-kun. I wasn't thinking," he amended. "Anyway, I checked in with Kilter and I have all the information now."

Aya nodded and Yohji grinned. "Oh, I can't wait to find out what Kilter has assigned for these guys."

"Ken!" Aya barked. "Stop goofing off and come over here. Omi's done reporting in."

As soon as Aya's words reached Ken's ears, the brunette turned to look at the red head. Aya gave a nod to which Ken blinked, and then nodded back. While this was going on, Dee saw his chance. 

_Score! He he… Kenny-boy shouldn't have let his guard down._ Dee thought smugly, sure in the fact that he would hit the brunette now. Ken didn't seem to want to follow the logic in Dee's head however. He blocked the blow Dee had aimed towards the brunette's face and twisted Dee's arm up and around, so that Dee couldn't get another punch in. The dark haired man grunted and winced at the strong and sudden grip Ken had on his arm. He was just about to retaliate, when his brain caught up to the situation. Ken, without even trying, had not only blocked one of Dee's attacks, he had also managed to disarm Dee in the process. Dee's eyes widened and his body tensed. This naïve looking guy had just proven to Dee just how strong he could be, and this was after getting into a scuffle with JJ. Just what was Ken capable of if he tired?

"It looks like we're going to have to cut our little sparing session short Dee," Ken said. Dee tensed even further. After all that and Ken didn't even sound that winded. Dee himself was panting and his breathing was quite heavy. Ken sounded as if he had just gone out on a brisk jog and not a fight where he was on the defensive all the time.

"Now, lets go see what Kilter has planned for the four of you."

"Uh… Yeah."

Giving the older man a smile, Ken let the man's arm go and set off in an easy lope towards the others. Dee let his arm fall limply by his side and gazed at the back of the brunette's head. This was proving to be a very interesting day.

"Everything's been cleared with all the officials and the right people have been told about the situation," Omi began, leafing through his clipboard. He was, more or less, reading straight off from the information he had gathered, but he kept the information to a 'need to know' basis. The others were all seated back in their original places on the various couches and chairs that they had used when the cops had first arrived.

"I have to say, you Americans sure do have a lot of red tape to work through. Anyway, without taking your personal lives into account, this is how the situation is going to be from now on and this is what your cover is going to be. First off, they're sending someone in from another department to act as your outside cover when you don't have an assignment. With this, you'll always have an alibi. Second, while we are stationed here, you'll be getting your assignments from us, and until we think you're ready, there will be no solo missions. Finally, there's the matter of your codenames."

"Codenames?" JJ perked his ears up and sat up a bit in his seat. This part of the job sounded cool. He always wanted to have a reason to have a codename. It was like the people in the movies who all had a codename and you only knew them by that codename.

Omi nodded and looked up from his notes. "We can't have anyone learning the truth of your identities from your names. You're going to have to come up with codenames."  
"Consider yourselves lucky," Yohji interrupted. "We didn't get to pick our codenames. Once we joined with Kilter, they gave us our codenames."

"This is a different sort of operation Yohji," Aya pointed out. "Besides, the codenames were specific to each group."

"Then tell me, O' Wise One. What does the German word for 'white' and felines have in common?" Omi and Ken shared a look. This kind of banter was normal to them, but they didn't know what their new little recruits would think of it. Truth be told, it put each of the cops in a more relax state of mind. This little display reassured them that the people they were dealing with were still human, regardless of how dangerous they seemed to be.

"I never said that the group names were related to the codenames Kudo."

"Ouch. Stung by the ever, and all-knowing logic of Aya. I bow before the master. Tell me Aya, what other words of wisdom do you have for me?"

"What are your codenames?" Ryo interrupted. This was getting rather silly and slightly embarrassing. Here he was watching two full-grown men flirt and banter with one another like it was the most natural thing in the world.

_Well, maybe for them it is_. Ryo thought. _Maybe they're like Dee and JJ and they're comfortable with who they are. I know Dee wishes I was a bit more comfortable with open displays of our relationship, but it still makes me shy. Still, we're in a meeting here. I thought this was serious._

It seemed as if Aya and Yohji weren't done with their flirting just yet. Instead, they settled for staring at each other with all sorts of gazes and there seemed to be a million different meanings to each little gesture they made. So it was up for Ken to pick up Ryo's question.

"As a group, we're called Weiss. As for what our codenames are, well, I don't know if I should be the one to tell you."

"Something to do with cats right?" Drake recalled Yohji mentioning something about felines. Nodding, Ken decided that it wouldn't hurt any to tell them. As Ken opened his mouth to tell them, Yohji decided at that moment he had had enough of flirting with Aya and turned to give the brunette a glare.

"Don't you dare tell them our codenames."

"Huh? Why not? Yohji, it's not like it's life or death information really. Why would you… Oh, I get it," Ken ended with a snicker. "Yohji! Your embarrassed about what your codename is!" The lanky blond sputtered and a purely indigent look crossed his features.

"I am not!"

"Then why don't you just tell them?" Ken teased.

"Yohji's codename is Balinese, Ken's is Siberian, Omi's is Bombay, and I'm Abyssinian." Aya intoned out of nowhere. Omi snickered, but did his best to hide it by biting on his bottom lip. Ken, however, out-right laughed at the expression of injustice on Yohji's face.

"Aya!"

"Are those all types of cats?" Drake checked with the giggling blond, doing his best to not pay any attention to the acts going on around him. With each second that passed by, these people confused him more and more. What were they really like? Were they dangerous or friendly? He couldn't tell. They switched between each so quickly, it made Drake's head spin. One thing he could tell, however. The four men sitting around him were close. Closer than any other sort of group that Drake had ever encountered. They acted like… 

_They're like a family letting people see a certain side of them. _Drake realized with a start. _You'll never get to see everything about them, but what they want you to see. It's to protect the members of the family. _He tried not to let it show as he listened to Omi answer his question. If anyone noticed, they have him no signal that they did. All went on as if nothing had happened.

"Un. Yohji hates his because a Balinese is a type of cat that's most commonly known for being vain and lazy with long blond hair. I think it makes him mad because they described his personality so well using a type of cat."

"Omi!"

Aya had apparently had enough of Yohji's playing around. Just as Yohji was about to get up and pummel the other man for making fun of him, Aya reached out and grabbed the front of the blonde's shirt. He pulled the other man harshly towards himself and slammed his lips over Yohji's in a harsh kiss.

Ryo and Drake blinked while JJ and Dee's jaws practically dropped to the ground. This was not something they had expected to see on the first day of meeting their new bosses. Not that it wasn't hot as hell to see people like Yohji, who seemed to ooze of sensuality, and Aya, who had to be the hottest thing on two legs, making out right in front of them.

Yohji moaned into the shorter man's mouth and just as he was really getting into it, Aya put both hands on Yohji's chest and pushed in backwards. With an ungraceful 'plop,' Yohji fell back into the floor and he had a dazed, lustful expression on his face. When his mind caught up to the situation, Yohji's demeanor changed once more and he was about to say something, when Aya beat him to the punch.

"If you want to continue that where we left off, I suggest you keep your mouth shut for the rest of the evening, unless you have something useful to add."

That shut Yohji up, but his eyes still glittered with a lust filled look aimed at the red head that he wasn't bothering to hide. Smirking, the blond adjusted himself so that he was still sitting on the floor, but now he had an arm thrown over the red head's lap. He did indeed, look like a contented cat.

"Mou… Dee, what am I going to tell Bikky about all this?" Ryo complained as the two men drove back home at the end of the day. They had been brief on the rest of the information that Omi had gathered and what was really expected of them now. After that, Ken said he was ready to test out the skills of the Ryo and Drake out back. Ryo didn't think he did too badly. He had certainly lasted longer than JJ, that's for sure. But he couldn't find a way to last as long as Dee and Drake had. However, there was a gleam of pure satisfaction on Ken's face when all was said and done. He had muttered a few words to himself in Japanese that Ryo could barely hear and seemed to be thinking about something.

Ryo had been unable to ask Ken what he was thinking about because it was at that moment that Aya had spoken up and told the men that they could go home. He said that they would be working out a few last kinks on their end, so that meant that the others had to do the same as well. The redhead had given them 3 days to settle affairs before they were to report back to him with results.

"What are you talking about? Bikky can take care of himself." Dee stated, lounging back in the seat. After having Ryo complain one too many times about Dee's driving skills, the two men decided that, for both their peace of mind, Ryo would drive when the two of them had to be in the same car.

"But what am I supposed to tell him about our new assignment?" It was at times like this that Dee was sure that Ryo's favorite hobby was to worry about every little thing that could possibly go wrong. He was such a mother hen, but that was one of the reasons why Dee was in-love with the other man.

"Ryo, remember what that Aya guy said? We're not supposed to tell anyone outside the group just what we're really doing," Dee reminded him. Ryo bit his lip. His worries were still not completely settled with just that.

"Then what do I tell him instead?" Ryo questioned. 

"You're going to have to stick with the story that Omi and that chick gave us."

"Bikky knows how the police stations works, Dee. He's not going to fall for it," Ryo pointed out. The fact that Dee was shooting down each one of his worries like they were of no importance, both aggravated and soothed Ryo at the same time. The end results were that Ryo had a bit of thinking to do now. His worries were eased, but he still had to think everything over.

Dee blanched at Ryo's last statement. That was true enough. Bikky was at the police station almost as much as he or Ryo were, or at least, he had been in the beginning. The mixed teen had cleaned his act up as time went by, but he was still a familiar face at the police station. That was something he had forgotten about. "We'll deal with that rock when we cross it."

Ryo snickered. "Um, I think you mean 'bridge' Dee."

"Rock, bridge, whatever," Dee made it seem like it was no big deal, but inside, he was pouting. How was he supposed to know all those phrases? "Point is, we'll figure things out when they happen, not spend all our time worrying about it now."

"I still don't feel right about this Dee."

"We have no choice here Ryo. As much as I don't like the sound of what we're doing, you have to keep in mind the bigger picture here."

"And that would be?" Ryo glanced at Dee out of the corner of his eye and watched as Dee's face grew serious and his tone changed to fit his new mood. 

"All those people that get away with crimes we know they committed just because there's no hard evidence are finally going to get what's coming to them. We'll be helping keep the city safe this way. More so, than when we had been cops."

"But to kill them?" That was the sore spot with them. It was one thing to know that you were keeping the streets safe, but it also know that, in doing so, you were taking the life of another human.

"…"

"Dee?"

"…Maybe it won't have to come to that…" Dee said quietly. Ryo could barely catch what the dark haired man said, but he did catch it. That was something that Ryo seriously doubted, but he did hope for it nonetheless. 

"…"

By now, the atmosphere of the car had taken a turn down depressing lane and both men had a lot to think about. In its own way, the amount of things that had changed in their lives weighed more than anything else that had happened to them so far. However, Dee knew that if the two of them went home with such serious looks on their faces, Bikky would instantly know that something was up. They need to elude his suspicion for as long as they could, so Dee decided to try and lighten the mood a bit.

"Anyways, if today was any guess about what we're going to have to go through, we're in for a major world of hurt here Ryo," Dee began. Ryo glanced at him again out of the corner of his eye. Dee had the most pained look on his face and was wincing at some imaginary pain. Then again, after what had happened during the test, maybe it wasn't imaginary. "Our next problem's going to be how we're going to hide all the bruises we're going to be getting."

"What do you mean?"

Wincing slightly, Dee rolled up his sleeve and Ryo saw what the other man was talking about. On Dee's wrist and upper arm, there was a nice light bruise. It would heal in a few days, but that didn't stop Ryo from staring at it while it was there. "I don't think he meant to, but when Kenny-boy pulled that little finishing move on me, he left a nice little present behind. It's going to be sore tomorrow for sure at this rate."

"He did that without even trying?!" Ryo exclaimed, eyes widening. "Mou Dee… What have we gotten ourselves into?"

"A world of hurt Ryo. A hellhole of hurt."

_I can't believe I'm putting myself through all this again. _Drake thought, just wincing at the imagined torture that he was going to go through. _As if one day of twist and turns, having my world turn upside down, and getting my ass handed to me by someone who looks like they just got out of college isn't enough, I'm going back for more. Oh well, a job's a job, I suppose. Might as well get on with it._ Taking a deep breath, Drake raised his hand and was about to knock on the door when it opened and revealed a smiling Omi. 

"Ah, Drake-kun. We were just waiting for you," Omi chirped in greeting. Welcome and happiness just seemed to bubble up from the younger man and Drake could help but feel a bit more at ease. "Did everything go alright?"

"Well, since I really didn't have too many loose ends to tie-up, things went pretty smoothly Mr. Tsukiyono," Drake stated, rubbing the back of his neck. At the use of the formal title, Omi frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Do I really look that old Drake-kun?"

"Well, no," Drake admitted sheepishly. "Actually, you look like you're in college or something." As he was about to say more, Omi cut him off with a smile and a wave of his hand.

"Then feel free to call me by my first name, Omi. And just so you know, I'm 22 actually. I had just finished college before getting reassigned here. Now come on, everybody's waiting." With that, Omi turned to leave, but Drake halted his steps by grabbing onto his arm. Omi turned around to face the other man with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Whoa. Wait a moment here. You're 22? How long have you've been doing this? How old are the others?" Drake paused here to take a breather. As he did so, Omi freed his arm and began ticking off the answers on his fingers.

"Yes, I'm 22. My whole life almost, and Yohji-kun's the oldest at 26. Aya-kun's a year younger than Yohji-kun, and Ken-kun's a year older than me."

"I don't believe this. I'm the oldest one here and JJ's not the youngest for once." That knowledge was a blow to Drake's ego in a sense, but it was more of a shocker than anything else. The answers only served to make Drake even more curious about the other members of Weiss. "And the others? How long have they been doing this?"

"Not nearly as long," Omi stated. "Come on, Drake-kun, the others are waiting for us."

And, as if to wrap that up, Omi turned once more and this time, proceeded to jog at a light pace into the apartment, causing Drake to follow the blonde and momentarily forget about his questions and his shock. When they reached the others in the living room, Dee looked up at Drake and broke into a cheesy grin.

"Drake! So glad you could finally join us! We were waiting for you!"

Again, before Drake could reply, he was cut off. This time, however, it was by JJ.

"Are we going to get some more stupid lecture or are we actually going to do something here? I'm not getting any younger over here," he complained, slouching into his seat and Drake swore he saw a pout on the gray haired man's face. To answer his question, Ken nodded.

"Today, we decided that we're going to begin you training. I've tested each one of you out and have decided on a few things. Dee and Drake are going to be the close-range team while JJ and Ryo are going to be the long-range team."

Ken didn't need to go into details about the teams or anything because he had been told that the ex-police had already heard about that from their earlier briefing. However, the brunette did wait until he received their confirming nods before going on.

"Which means, you'll need suitable weapons."

Here, Dee failed to understand what Ken was talking about. "What? We can't just use a gun or something?"

"You're assassins now," Yohji answered easily. "A gun would make too much noise."

"Plus, Kilter doesn't promote the use of guns as a primary weapon," Omi added.

"Why? They're certainly effective aren't they? Don't you guys just go in and axe the guy, then leave? You would think guns would be the most effective way to get the job done," Dee protested. Anything else he might have also said died on his lips as Dee caught sight of the serious looks he was getting from such an innocent question.

It was finally Omi who broke the silence that seemed to stretch on and on.

"Dee-kun…" he began hesitantly, gaining more confidence as he went on. "If a person used a gun on all the missions we've done, there's no way to tell how long they would remember the most key part of all this."

Dee swallowed audibly, but he still managed to press on. "And what's the key part in all of this?"  
"The people we kill are just that. People. They might have done some terrible things in their lives, but they are still human. With the weapons we do use, there's not a day that goes by that we don't remember that. Not a single day…"

"Oh…" Dee didn't know what to say to that. Omi had a point. He did reveal, though, just how the members of Weiss were still able to act like humans despite their job situation. At this point, Yohji decided to pick up from where Omi had left off. He was getting some serious vibes from Aya and the redhead was getting rather close to losing his cool, though none of that showed on his face.

"And that's the reason why we had Ken test each of your skills the other day. We needed an idea of what we're dealing with. And from the looks of it, we have our work cut out for us," the older blonde teased. "With that being said, let's get to work! Men, follow me to get your new friends."

Hopping out of his seat with an energy that he didn't really feel, Yohji got up and waited for the others to copy his example. When everyone was on their feet, Yohji lead the group down the same hallway they had gone down to get to the roof, only this time, he stopped by a door a little ways down and on the left side of the hallway. Opening the door and motioning the others to follow him inside, Yohji held open the door as everybody filed in and were led further in by Ken and Omi.

Aya was the last to go in, but before he did, Yohji grabbed the redhead's arm and forced him to meet his green eyed gaze. Words passed between violet and emerald as the two stared at each other for what seemed like hours, when it was only a few moments. Finally, violet eyes blinked tiredly and Aya allowed himself to be pulled into Yohji's comforting embrace. The red haired leader closed his eyes and sighed as Yohji wrapped his arms around the other man, using his back to keep the door opened. Placing a gentle kiss on the top of Aya's head, Yohji projected as many calming emotions as he could to the other man while his hold was steady and strong around Aya.

When Aya had regained control of his emotions and powers, the redhead pushed away from the blond, but not before leaving a soul-searing kiss on the other's lips. Then, all business once more, Aya continued on into the room like nothing had happened. Yohji followed his leader, but with an easy smirk and a slight sway to his walk. The two made it to hear JJ's cry of surprise at the multitude of weapons laid out before them. Yohji couldn't help but add his two cents in as Ken was about to open his mouth, cutting the brunette off.

"The far-range weapons are on the left and the close-range ones are on the right. Have fun gentlemen."

Dee turned to see the smirk on Yohji's lips and he couldn't help but bristle just the least bit. So far, he had a taste of Omi's skill, and actually seen Ken's, but there was nothing other than the blonde's word about how skilled he was. 

"Just what do you use Yohji? You seem to be a know-it-all," Dee challenged.

"Me?" Yohji asked, in a tone that was trying to be innocent, but ended up being all the more suspicious. "My weapon of choice is my watch here." Hearing that, Dee snorted.

"A watch? You expect me to believe that you kill people using a watch?"

The action was fast and done with the utmost professional skill. Yohji didn't waste any moment, nor did he move from his spot. But when he was done, the trap had been laid. To the untrained eye, it looked like Yohji had just raised his wrist to his mouth and done a few fancy gestures with his arms, but the members of Weiss knew better. 

"Did you do anything Yohji-san?" Ryo asked politely. He wasn't one to write off Yohji just yet, but he was curious what that arm movement had been about. Yohji leaned provocatively against the doorway and waved his watch arm around as he spoke.

"Well, maybe if I had said I use wire it would have been more accurate, and I wouldn't move right now, if I were you. You might cut yourself on something. Actually, the real name of my weapon is called a garrote. Maybe you've heard of it."

Thinking that it was all a bluff, Dee tried moving forward and he was instantly rewarded by a cut on his arm as something tightened around it and pierced the skin. Dee froze mid-step and his eyes grew to the size of saucers. It was only after flexing each muscle that he could carefully and slowly, was Dee able to assess what had been done. To put it mildly, he was a bug trapped in Yohji's web and too many careless movements would also get the others in the room hurt as well. 

"Ah! Damn it Yohji! Let me out of whatever it is you've got me in!" That was the only way that Dee would acknowledge the fact that he had underestimated Yohji. He acknowledged the blond in his mind, but his pride wouldn't let him say that out loud. It appeared to be enough for the blond however as he nodded and gave Omi the 'v' sign with his fingers. Omi flicked his wrist once and a dart appeared in his hands. Throwing it at a spot on the ceiling, Omi freed Dee from the trap that Yohji had ensnared him in. 

"I'm guessing that you use darts," JJ remarked, blinking at the younger man. He was trying to guess where Omi could have hidden that dart without anyone knowing about it.

"Darts, needles, pins, crossbow, and I have a bow and arrow," Omi corrected with a shrug.

"What? No throwing stars?" Drake joked. He didn't expect Omi to take him seriously however, nor was he prepared for his answer.

"I haven't quite got the knack for those down yet." Stating this, Omi pouted as he remembered his failures at getting the metal star to go where he wanted. Ryo paled and JJ swallowed audibly. For the millionth time in those few days, they wondered what they had gotten themselves wrapped up in. 

"What do you two use?" Ryo asked of the other two men, both curious and nervous at the same time.

"Hm?" Ken looked at Ryo from his contemplation of the ceiling and it took him a moment before he caught up to Ryo's question. The brunette acted more like a blonde ditz at times. "Oh! They're called bugnuks*, but I guess you could just call them long, metal claws."

"Right…Aya?" _Great. Claws. What next, a retractable spear?! _Ryo thought with growing concern. While their choices of weapons were certainly different, Ryo could see the pattern that was arising. All their weapons kept each assassin within range of their target, Omi having the longest range, allowing them to witness each death firsthand. Also, if Ryo had guessed correctly by how they had been assigned, then Aya's weapon would be something of a close-range type.

"Hm." Was all the redhead would say on that matter; either he was refusing to answer the question, or he hadn't heard the question Ryo concluded. Opening his mouth to try once more, Ryo was cut off by Ken's light-hearted answer.

"Aya use a katana and word of advice, don't ever get Aya pissed if there's a sword nearby. Not if you value your life anyways."

Ken had tried to make it seem like a joke, but all his answer seemed to do was cause Ryo to pale and for Drake to swallow. Ken was Aya's teammate and he was warning them about losing their lives to Aya's temper?! And he made it appear that something like that was no big deal. If the brunette had been going for casual to relax them, he had failed miserably.

Deciding that if he wanted to take his mind off all of this, Ryo had better start looking at the weapons that were lying in front of him. Taking a step closer to the wall, Ryo took a deep breath to calm his nerves and began studying the assorted tools he had to choose from. Dee copied his lover's example, but not before he shot Yohji a light scowl. His pride had been hurt and it would take a little time for it to heal. 

Drake quickly scanned the whole room, and scanned his side of the room once more afterwards. He wanted something he could at least feel comfortable with, and so far, he had seen nothing that appealed to him. Well, that was not completely true. When the man had laid eyes on the various swords, he had felt an urge to go over and try one out himself. Although he didn't know how practical that would be. He had never even touched a sword in his life. What made him think that that would be a good weapon of choice? Yet, as he scanned the area for a fourth time, his gaze continued to be drawn to the swords. Aw, what the hell. A person only lived once and with his new job, it might not even be a long life at that. Choosing a rather nice looking one, Drake made his selection. He knew it was a katana, it didn't have that slight curve to it at the end like a katana did. It was just straight and was sharp on both sides, which meant that it was a little thicker in the middle, but it felt fine in Drake's hands.

JJ warily looked over the left side of the room, not really thinking about anything much. However, when his eyes landed on the set of throwing knives, JJ gave a start. He didn't think that they would let them choose something so common. Then he remembered the type of weapon Omi preferred. Well, if it was all right for Omi to use something like that, then maybe he could give them a try as well. Striding over and taking the knives off the wall, JJ fingered and palmed the weapons, getting the feel of it. Something inside of JJ told him that these were the weapons that he wanted to use. There was just something that appealed to JJ about the throwing knives. Besides, he had always been secretly interested in them when he saw them at the circus and in the movies. To actually get to use them, well, that made JJ's mind up.

Dee ran a cautious hand just above the weapons, testing the air. Testing it for what, he didn't really know. It just felt like something he should be doing. Finally, something halted his hand. Dee's tan hand hovered right above a spear, but the bar of this spear had two blades that created a cross at the head**. It was a little unusual, but then again, Dee had never claimed himself to be a normal person. The odd spear would suit him, or so that was what Dee felt.

While his friends and lover were choosing their own weapons, Ryo was having a hard time coming to a decision. Nothing really appealed to him and he didn't want to pick something he didn't have any knowledge of how to handle. Truthfully, his half-Japanese blood made him want to ask Omi if it was okay if he used throwing stars, shurikens, as well. He had watched a few ninja movies when he was a child and sometimes watched them now. So he had some knowledge of the usage of the weapon. It was really the only thing that he felt he could deal with. Turning to face Omi, he caught the blonde's stare and cleared his throat.

"Anou… Omi-san," Ryo started, using the suffix trying to put himself in Omi's good graces. "I was wondering if it would be all right if I used those throwing stars that Drake joked about earlier. I know a bit about how to use them, and I wouldn't mind also having to learn how to handle another weapon, in case that's not enough."

"You really want to use throwing stars?" Omi repeated, his wide eyes blinking in slight surprise.

"Hai."

Beaming, Omi nodded. "Un! I don't see anything wrong with that. Maybe you'll even get the hang of them better than I can. I just can't seem to make them hit the target on the spot where I want to. You can even use the shurikens I bought to use."

"Arigato Omi-san," Ryo replied happily.

Mou! Ryo-kun, you don't need to call me '-san,' you know. Just Omi is fine with me, Omi stated, unknowingly switching back into Japanese. Ryo chuckled, but nodded in understanding. For a moment, Ryo forgot about what Omi did and who he was and just enjoyed the young man's company. There was just something about Omi's personality that made a person smile.

"Now that you have your weapons gentlemen, let's get to the roof and see what you're really made of," Aya declared when he saw that everyone had chosen a weapon. "You can leave your weapons here. When we think you're ready to handle the added danger, then we'll fight with weapons, but not until then. We don't need the hassle of having to replace someone who was stupid enough to get themselves hurt during training."

_{Do we use our little 'gifts' now or should we take it easy on them?} _Yohji mused, half to himself, and half to the others.

_{From what I've seen, they're going to have a hard enough time without us throwing in any surprises. We play it normal for now,} _Ken answered, projecting the feelings he got when he had sparred with each man earlier that week. They were sorely lacking in some areas and it would be a total slaughter if they used their powers on the unsuspecting men.

_{Aya-kun?} _Omi checked with their 'leader.' He didn't think Aya would have a problem, but it was better if he knew for certain.

_{You were the one to test them Ken,} _Aya stated flatly._ {You would know what to expect.}_

*I have no real idea what Ken's weapons are called. I tried to remember from my memory, but it's worth shit. Anyone want to correct me on things like this, I will very much appreciate it.

** I blame the last two weapons on watching waaay too much Naruto and having just finished watching Samurai Deeper Kyo. Kick ass series! I love Sasuke! (The one in Kyo, not Naruto.)

*sighs* I need an editor (is that what a beta is?). Anyone interested? I'll write something special if anyone wants the job. Cause with fics this long, I forget what I typed in the beginning and don't often catch my mistake when I edit it myself.


	6. Powers are finally revealed

Surprise! Surprise! I've updated again within a relatively short amount of time! I have another chapter out and ready. Still no beta, so it still kinda sucks. I need one here people! Anyone want the job? 

On another note, this may be the last chapter for a bit. I have to work on my other story first and get some of the ideas out of my head before they leak out onto other things. Like my schoolwork and actual work.

You finally get to find out what 'powers' I've gifted each of our little Weiss boys with. I'm done with torturing the masses with withholding the knowledge. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"BREAK!" Aya's unusually loud voice boomed over the rooftop, stopping all activity right where it was.

"Finally!" Dee exclaimed, falling unconcerned onto his ass from where he stood. Breathing heavily and wiping his forehead, Dee eyed the scene surrounding him.

Ryo and JJ leaned against each other's backs and slide to the ground in a boneless manner, both breathing heavily and faces flushed. Drake was bent over his knees trying to catch his breath and unawares of the world around him. Then Dee decided to see how their 'teachers' were faring.

Omi was sitting on the ledge of the roof and had pulled out a laptop from heaven's knows where and was simultaneously stretching out his arm and typing away on the laptop, his cheeks only slightly red, but not all that winded. Ken was looking over the young blonde's shoulder, sipping absently-mindedly on a water bottle. It was hard to tell if the brunette was winded or not, but his face did have a light sheen of sweat on it, not as bad as the one Dee sported, however. But that could have been due to the weather since it was a rather warm day, and not their fighting. Every now and then, the brunette would stretch out a leg or arm muscle, nothing joint popping. Aya was also taking a casual drink out of a water bottle, but he didn't even look the least bit tired. In fact, the redhead looked as fresh as when they had started. His clothes didn't even look rumpled! Yohji was leaning against the wall, talking easily to Aya about something. The blond didn't get any sort of response, but he continued on with his chatter nonetheless. He was somewhat worse than Ken sweat wise, but just a little better off than Omi breathing and red-cheeked wise. Dee came to a conclusion. These guys weren't human, particularly not Aya.

"Dee?" A voice called, breathing still harsh and coming in deep pants. Turning his head slightly because that was all the Dee felt he could do at the moment, Dee was rewarded with Drake's less than fresh face and a water bottle in his reach. The other man held it out to Dee and he took it gratefully.

"That was some workout, huh?" Drake commented, sitting down next to Dee who was drinking like he'd been stranded in the desert. He was trying to make light of the situation, but failed miserably.

"Workout?!" Dee exclaimed, finally having his fill. "That was no workout! That was torture! A workout's where you stretch and build muscles, taking breaks every now and then. Not try to fight some psycho for 2 and half hours on end! My rear end's never going to recover from this! That Aya's a sadistic bastard! Do you know how many times he hit me with that stick of his!?"

"As many times as Ken hit me?" Drake guessed, having no pity for the other man. Ken was most definitely tougher than he looked.

"Or how about the number of times Omi nicked us with those darts of his?" JJ spoke up, catching the two men's attention. "That little kid's dangerous!"

"He's only a year younger than you JJ," Drake corrected, remembering what Omi had told him earlier. Was it only just this morning that Omi had told Drake their ages? It seemed like so long ago…

"What?!" the silver haired man screeched. "He's a year younger than me?! And he's this good?! How long has he been doing this anyway?"

Drake shrugged and took the water bottle away from Dee. "Don't know. All Omi would say is that he's been doing this a long time. Longest of the four actually."

"Did you learn anything else about them?" Ryo asked, managing to look curious despite his exhaustion. Drake nodded and gestured towards the other men.

"It looks like Yohji's the oldest at 26, then Aya at 25, then Ken being 23, and I've told you that Omi's 22, so he's the baby of the bunch. Oh, and back in Japan, Ken coaches a kiddy soccer team."

"You have got to be kidding me," Dee commented, not believing a word of what Drake told him. "You're telling me that none of them are over 30, and yet, they can kick our asses and for nearly 3 hours and not even get tired from it?"

"Hey, I'm just telling you what Omi told me," Drake defended. "You can ask them yourselves if you don't believe me."

"And that an assassin coaches a kid's soccer team?"

"Ken told me that himself. He was trying to distract me during our training and let me tell you, finding that out earned me a very nice thump on the back of my head." Drake gently fingered the bump on his head that had resulted from the previously mentioned thump. It was swelling up a bit now, but it would most likely be gone by the next morning. Still, it hurt.

"Well fuck me sideways," Dee stated, shaking his head.

"Thanks, but no thanks Laytner," a teasing voice spoke up. "I think there are other people I'd like to fuck before I fucked you. I'll keep your offer in mind though." The men looked to see Yohji with a smirk on his face, looking no worse for the wear, not a hair out of place. Heck, even his sunglasses were still perched on the top of his head like they had been when they had first started.

"It wasn't an offer Yohji," Dee returned, grinning. He might have hated Yohji for being as fresh as he was and for making a fool of him earlier, but he didn't hate the guy for his flirtatious nature. It reminded him of his own nature, in a way. But while Dee was more of a masculine trickster, Yohji was a slightly effeminate sensual playboy.

"Are you guys rested enough yet?" Omi asked, coming over and looking as fresh as Yohji. Behind him stood Ken, still absently sipping on his water bottle, and Aya, expressionless as always. Ken had this strange far away look in his eyes, as if he was here, but not here at the same time. That puzzled the four men, but they wrote it off to exhaustion and thought nothing more of it.

"You've got to be kidding me, right?" JJ checked, eyebrows rising in disbelief. "After all that, we only get a 15 minute break? And without lunch?"

"He's got a point there," Yohji admitted. "Shall we let them have lunch Aya, before we began their torture anew?"

"Hm." Suddenly, Ken began blinking in rapid succession and took a long drag of this water bottle. He coughed a little when he only got air instead of water. Blushing slightly, Ken removed the water bottle and turned to Aya's general direction.

"I think we should let them have some lunch Aya," he stated, getting his blush under control. "And I think we should also join them for lunch. You know, to get to know them better."

Aya turned his head and pierced Ken with this gaze. The brunette just stared back without flinching or saying a word. Something passed between the two men and Aya's eyes flickered in recognition. With a nod, Aya turned on his heel and headed back indoors.

"We'll let them have lunch, but I'm not going to be the one to make it," the redhead stated. And that was that.

You sure you're all right, Ken-kun? Omi asked the ex-soccer player while the two of them were making lunch or the group. He tried to keep most of the worry out of his voice, but it all shown through in his blue eyes when he looked at Ken.

Yeah, I'm fine Omi. It's just a slight mirage. Nothing I can't handle, Ken assured him, dropping a kiss to the top of Omi's head. I've handled worse and survived, so you don't have to worry so much. Pass me the rice, would you?

But I can't help but worry, Omi protested, even as he floated the rice pot over to where Ken was. The blond wasn't bothering to hide his new powers since it was Aya's and Yohji's job to keep the unknowing out of the kitchen while he and Ken prepared lunch. Ken accepted the rice pot without comment and began making riceballs for the group.

True to the prediction when they had been offered the translating machine, as it was so dubbed amongst the members of Weiss, there was a side effect. Now, along with being able to understand English as if it was their native language, the members of Weiss had a special skill like the ones similar to Schwartz.

Omi was now a telekinetic like Nagi, and, in the same manner that the younger teen hadn't known in the beginning, he still didn't know the boundaries of his own powers. Ken could form an image, a mirage of sorts, from what he pictured in his mind. If he concentrated hard enough, he could even make his mirage feel just as real as if it truly existed. The downside was that Ken had to be careful of how hard he concentrated otherwise he would set things on fire, and when he wanted to project what was in his head and when he didn't. Yohji was a telepath, like Schuldich. The blond playboy was on constant alert and did his best to keep a lid on his powers. It helped that he was also taking pills that would dumb his senses just enough to make things bearable, as was Aya. The redheaded leader of Weiss had become, of all things, empathic. It was a sign of Aya's willpower and determination that he didn't let others emotions overcome his own and become lost within them.

It had been a very tiring and painful three months for the members of Weiss while they adjusted and adapted as best they could to their newfound gifts. If it hadn't been for their past experiences and another member of Kilter who had dealt with the same thing themselves, the members of Weiss would have most likely ended up in a mental institution or have killed themselves by now. They were still shaky and weak with their gifts, but they could control them, and that was what mattered.

Now, whenever the opportunity presented itself, they practiced and trained with their powers, testing the limits and gaining more control over them. It was by a mutual consent that they would do this because they knew what could happen to them if they were caught and untrained.

Do you think this will be enough? Ken wondered aloud, looking at the riceballs he had made. Since they were a favorite with the kids he coached, Ken could only hope that they would be a hit with the others as well.

Omi snuck a peek at the number of riceballs Ken had made and did some quick mental math. Anou… Ken-kun, you made enough for everyone to have at least 6. I think you've made enough. Don't forget, there still the other dishes to eat.

Omi, we're dealing with four grown men who have probably gone through the most strenuous exercise they've ever done and four people who's growing powers have increased their appetite tenfold. I repeat, do you think this will be enough?

I wouldn't say tenfold, Omi protested weakly, though he knew it was true. Why don't you make some more sandwiches if you're so worried about it?

As long as I don't have to use the stove, we're good, Ken agreed.

Ken-kun, Aya-kun would have my head if he even _thought_ I let you anywhere near the stove, Omi reproached, giving Ken a withering stare. Ken blushed and prayed that his lover wouldn't mention the spaghetti incident, but it seemed that fate was not with him.

I mean, how does a person get spaghetti on the ceiling and tomato sauce _behind _the refrigerator, simultaneously setting half the stove on fire and getting frostbite of all things on their left hand? I think we're still cleaning the noodles off the ceiling thanks to you, Omi reminded. Ken blushed even harder and focused on the sandwiches he was making.

It could have happened to anyone, he tried. An invisible hand hitting him on the back of his head was his answer to that.

No, only you Ken-kun.

"Okay, let me see if I got everything clear here. You guys are not only assassins, but you also know how to cook?" JJ queried, eyeing the table covered with food in front of him. He had to admit, however, it did look rather tasty and he was hungry.

"I can cook as long as it doesn't require a stove," Ken replied, reaching for a riceball and taking a big bite. They were sitting all around the kitchen since the table that the guys had wouldn't fit 8 ground men. Ken was leaning against the counter-top, next to Omi, who was perched on the said counter. The blonde was muching away on a sandwich, every now and then, stealing a sip of the drink Ken held in his other hand.

"That's more than some people can manage," JJ added. He reached for a bowl of some kind of soup thing. Omi had told him the name earlier, but for the life of him, JJ couldn't remember what it was. JJ knew that Ryo might have knowledge about the soup, but he had no idea what it would be like. Still, he was willing to try almost anything once, and it wasn't like it was going to kill him. "Anything else you guys want to add to your long list of accomplishments?"

"Would you count being able to arrange flowers an accomplishment?" Yohji suggested idly. 

"Flowers? You know how to make flower arrangements?" Ryo repeated, a little surprised. The light-haired man was sitting at one of the few spots at the table and was working on his second sandwich. His hunger at the sight of so much food had surprised him, but apparently Omi and Ken had been expecting it.

"Well, Omi and Aya are better at it then I am, but I can keep most flowers fresher longer," Yohji conceded. "And Ken's the best at transplanting and growing the actual plants."

"You're joking right? Please tell me you're joking," Dee asked, swallowing the sandwich he had shoved whole into this mouth. Dee was leaning casually against the wall next to the table and had a sandwich in one hand and a drink in the other. The dark haired man took a deep swallow of his drink before going on. "I don't need to find out that you guys can do something else better than me."

"Who do you think made all the flower arrangements around here? Some girl at a local flower shop?" Yohji challenged. Seeing the sheepish looks on the four men's faces, he snorted and indicated to the redhead standing next to him and to the vase of roses nearby, above the sink stand. "Sorry, but no woman will ever be able to arrange roses as well as our Aya here."

"No offense, but the image of you four as assassins is barely connecting in my brain and now you're telling me that you also do flower arrangements? What else? You also have an encyclopedic knowledge of every drug known to man or something?" Drake groaned. He was hoping that the wide extend of skills these guys had didn't have to apply to him because he would never be able to handle it all.

"Drake, I don't there's enough oxygen getting to your brain or something," Yohji teased. "What do you think we are? Machines? Why would we know something like that?"

"You just surprise us, that's all," he said defensively. At this Yohji laughed at the other man's blush and continued to tease the other man about his perception of them. Even Omi couldn't help but snicker at times. Drake had made some pretty wild assumptions, it seemed.

Ryo, seeing his friend's distress, decided that he should try and divert the conversation to something not so embarrassing to Drake. The man was turning a interesting pink/red color that Ryo had never seen on the other man. Or any man for that matter. Searching his mind, Ryo blurted out the first thing that sounded halfway decent to him. "Ken, I heard from Drake that you coach a kids' soccer team back in Japan. Is that true?"

Ken nodded and an easy smile came over his features. Ryo had hit the mark. The three things that brought a smile to Ken's face and made him open up were Omi, kids, and soccer, not in any particular order. With that smile on his face, and the tone of voice Ken was using, the ex-police officers could see how people would be drawn to the brunette and think only good things about him. "Yeah. It can be tiring at times, trying to coach a group with more energy than I'll ever have again, but when you have a group of 20 or so kids all crowding around your ankles, looking up at you like you're the greatest thing in the world, it makes it all worth it. I could easily do it for the rest of my life, if I had the choice."

Hearing this, Yohji snorted. "Speak for yourself KenKen. Give me a bunch of flowers with thorns and no shearing scissors any day over a bunch of little rug-rats."

"Well, that's you Yohji," Ken returned. "Not all of us are the sex-fiend that you are."

"Now you're just lying, KenKen. I've heard you and Omi at night. You're just as bad as me; don't go pointing any fingers at me Hikda. It'd be the kettle calling the pan black."

"It's 'the pot calling the kettle black,'" Ken corrected smugly. "And at least I don't go and hit on every girl over 18 that I meet."

"That sounds like something Dee would do," Ryo idly mused. While Dee was loyal to Ryo like no other, it didn't stop the other man from flirting with women he considered attractive. Mind you, it was women only. Dee never hit on any guy, whether Ryo was there or not. It was Dee's way of telling Ryo that there would be no one else for him and that he was just being himself and enjoying life as it came to him. However, Omi didn't know this, so naturally, he was curious.

"I thought that you were with Ryo-kun?"

"Yeah, but it still doesn't stop him from hitting on the women that he meets," Ryo answered. "He seems to share that trait in common with Yohji."

"Hey, I'm god's gift to women," Dee jokingly protested. "Why shouldn't I entertain the ladies with my hot looks, even if it's only for a moment?"

"I think you got your facts messed up here Dee," Yohji argued. Quickly reaching out, Yohji snagged Aya by the waist and pulled the silent redhead in front of him, holding onto his waist as he did so. Looking from a little above and to the side of Aya's head, he continued. "Last time I checked, Aya was the hottest thing on two legs and I was god's gift to women."

Aya didn't say a word, but his cheeks took on the slightest reddish tint. He simply took a sip of his drink and let Yohji hold him. Ken and Omi shared knowing looks. Though Aya might not show it, he liked it when Yohji complemented him. 

"Maybe in Japan you were, but here in the states, I am the head honcho," Dee countered.

"Rose would argue with you on that," Drake pointed out, reminding Dee that his partner had a much bigger fanclub than Dee had back at the precinct. 

"Screw what Rose says. His opinion of me doesn't matter because he's out to get me and steal Ryo away from me." The banter between Yohji and Dee had been discarded as Dee instantly went into possessive mode and defended his right to call Ryo his.

"Yeah, him and nearly every single women in the precinct, not to mention a few guys as well."

"Well, I hope they know that Ryo is mine and I'm not going to share."

"Anou, Dee. Could you drop this and talk about something else?" Ryo asked uncomfortably. On one side, he was flattered that Dee was so possessive of him and so protective as well; on another hand it was horribly embarrassing and just a little annoying. Ryo could take care of himself and he didn't want anyone to forget it, least of all his lover.

Sensing his lover's discomfort, Dee quickly agreed and dropped the matter, but now what were they going to talk about? "Okay, what?"   
"Etou…" That wasn't something Ryo had been thinking off. He just wanted Dee to switch subjects, not that he had one in mind of to talk about instead.

"How 'bout how much you guys are out of shape?" Omi offered helpfully.

"Hey!"

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Everybody enjoy it? Okay, just a warning. The next chapter is going to be mostly thanks for all those people that reviewed and somehow their review stuck in my head… Or was that mostly for the other fic I was writing? Argh!! Too much thinking!!!

Review? Please? Beta? Please?


	7. Author Apology

If there are people who have actually hung around and waited for me to update, all I have to say is this:

O.o

To say the least, that's a real shocker to me considering that I've left these fics for so long. But there is a good side to the apparent deadness of my fics. Over months (a year now?) I've worked and tweaked my writing style so that it's, in my opinion, more mature and developed than when I started these fics.

I do still plan to finish the fics that I've started, even have a few bits and pieces typed out for each of them, but I will probably not be updating this account as much anymore considering that I've found to be a bit of a pain in the ass to deal with. If you want to read anything else that I've written or see if I ever do update the fics I've started, I'd say that your best bet is to try my livejournal account, which is listed in my userinfo since I can't figure out how to post a link in this stupid update.

The name ( ponytaledbaka ) is still the same, so you'll know who to look for.

Sorry to all those who were waiting and hung around. Feel free to leave me a message/rant/flame/spam/comment if you want. To the ones who have just stumbled across this and my writing, consider yourself lucky (even if I still do think you'd probably have been better off finding someone else to read fics from).


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